Lies Never Saved Lives
by thing.ray
Summary: I tried to move on, but there was no hope of that because I was still carrying the past. Gaa/OC/Sas - M for implied adult themes - Important! Please read Actions Speak Louder Than Words before beginning this. This is a sequel! ON HIATUS
1. One

The sky looked strange today. To me it appeared as though it was a direct mirror of my turbulent mind. The clouds on the left hand side of the sky were dark and slowly drifting to the right, threatening a heavy storm that had the potential to become devastating. Conversely, the right hand side was perfectly clear and the sky was a beautiful shade light blue. Anyone would think that such a beautiful thing could never be ruined by something as simple as a thunderstorm, but it was possible. Weather was such an unpredictable thing, and that was why it was so like the human mind. On one hand, your mind was dark and filled with thoughts that could destroy you one day. It was nearly impossible to get rid of these thoughts because they were insecurities and fears that had long since taken root. They threatened, along with the heavy clouds, to bring along an unstoppable storm. But on the other hand, your mind was pure. and if there was a desire to keep it that way, it too had the strength to pull you in along with it. This side of the mind resembled the right hand side of the sky because it was a beautiful thing; a pure mind held no darkness and even had the power to bring light to the darkest of places.

It would prove fatal, however, if there was no will to fight the darkness that threatened to take you over. If there was no desire to keep the mind pure, then there was no defense against this so called darkness. I felt like the sky resembled my mind because of the fact that these two sides of me had been warring so much more than usual lately. The dark side of my mind wanted to tell me that all of the choices I had made up to this point in my life had all been bad. To some degree, I couldn't agree more. I had made some pretty pitiful choices over the course of the past two years, one of them being leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I had left on the account of trying to find myself in this world, but I could only seem to justify that to myself. There really wasn't a way to describe this to someone else. They probably wouldn't understand, and would even be so inclined as to tell me that I was an idiot for leaving my home. I sometimes felt like an idiot for leaving my home. But was that place truly my home? In my defense, my entire life had been painted out for me; something that had been carefully created and made specifically for me. Everything that I had ever known had been something that was designed to keep me from figuring out the truth. I had been lied to for fourteen years, and I certainly no longer felt like being lied to.

However, the pure side of my mind enjoyed telling me that everything I had done up to this point had been the right thing for me. I had acted on my own desire to find the truth, and that was something that no one could take from me. The pure side of my mind argued that not many people would search for the truth because they were content with the lies. It was because the lies were something they had grown up with and they lacked the desire to find the truth, simply because they were afraid of it. No one wanted to find out the truth, merely because of their fear of it being worse than the lie. I had grown up in a world full of wonderfully constructed lies; immaculate lies that had kept me in the dark until two years ago. Those lies had kept me in the dark for as long as I could remember, but this was different now. I was fighting against this darkness that threatened to swallow me whole and bring me back behind its wall of destruction. I refused to be taken in again by the lies.

"Now I'm getting lazy," I sighed and smiled to myself, suddenly forgetting about the clouds in the sky. I rolled over onto my stomach and reached for my bag. Despite mulling over my problems, it had suddenly dawned on me that I had a much more pressing issue than my life choices. I opened my bag and dumped its contents onto the ground. I pushed my food and water supply off to a separate side to look at it. It looked like it was getting pretty low. I didn't have very much of it left, and I figured what little bit I had now would only get me through for a few days. I sighed and grabbed the much smaller bag I had reserved for money. As I opened the bag, I couldn't help but notice how light it was. Usually it was heavy enough to knock someone out if I had hit them upside the head with it.

"I'm also getting poor." I pouted and tied the bag shut. I reached for a small scroll that I had reserved for this specific purpose. I untied the small string that kept the scroll from unraveling and opened it up, scanning the list of names and locations that were in front of me. Beside each name was the amount of money the person who captured that person would receive. Each name held a considerable bounty, mainly because I had no business going after the little guys. If I went after the ones with a bigger price over their heads, I wouldn't have to constantly be bounty hunting for money. It was something I had taken up not only for a means for income to keep me going, but also as a way to make sure my fighting wasn't getting rusty. So far I hadn't lost any bounties I went after, so I assumed either my opponent's were extremely weak, or that I was strong enough to take them on.

"It's decided then," I smiled and began putting my things back into my bag. I didn't know much about the person I had chosen, but what I did know was that he was an ex-ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist. This man would probably give me a run for my money, but regardless of what he might be able to do, I was only concerned with the price over his head: thirty-five million Ryo. I would be set for a while if I was successful in capturing him. If I caught this man, Yami Mori, I wouldn't have to go bounty hunting again for probably another couple of months. However, I needed to come up with a strategy and I also needed to gather some information on this man. It wouldn't do to just run blindly into a fight. The only things I could say for certain was that he was probably a proficient user in Water Style Jutsus and in order to have such a high bounty on his head, he had to be considerably dangerous. I wouldn't even know where to look; therefore, this meant I needed to go to his home village to find out something about him.

First, I probably needed to know why he left. There would probably be multiple stories for this, so once I heard them, I needed to be able to sift through the ones that sounded logical and the ones that sounded like rumors. Next, I needed to know how strong he was before he left his home village. Obviously at this point he would have gotten much stronger, but knowing his past strength was better than not knowing his strength at all. Lastly, I would need to know if he went alone. Not every Rogue Ninja left their villages by themselves. More often than not, they had someone tag along with them to use as a decoy, or simply because that person sympathized with the other. It was plausible that Yami Mori was not travelling alone; therefore, it was imperative that I knew everything about him up to the last moment he was in the Hidden Mist village.

* * *

The sun was beginning to disappear behind the horizon by the time I had reached the Hidden Mist Village. As a traveler, a Hidden Village was not usually on the top of my list of places I wanted to go. Honestly, it was usually towards the bottom considering the fact that the shinobi of each respective Hidden Village would have ready a barrage of bothersome questions ready when they caught you snooping around their village. But I had legitimate business in this village, so regardless of what questions they decided to ask me, I had a good answer for each and every one of them.

I smiled and raised both of my hands in the air, feeling the presence of a handful of ninjas. Almost instantly, my arms were yanked brutally behind my back. I grimaced and looked around at the shinobi surrounding me. This was typical of the Hidden Mist; or rather, this could be typical of any major shinobi village. I knew that the Hidden Villages of the Five Great Nations were prone to constant invasions, therefore their security measures would vary based on the severity of each respective invasion and how often these invasions occurred. For the Village Hidden in the Mist, I hadn't thought their security measures would be so severe, due to their geographical location and how beautifully hidden their village was, but it was understandable.

"Why are you here?" A shinobi standing in front of me snapped. "Your answer will determine how long I let you live."

I smiled and tried to gesture to my bag. "My reason is in here, good man, and if you would be so inclined as to allow me to retrieve my reason, I will gladly tell you."

He nodded and I was freed. I stretched my arms for a minute and then pulled my bag from my shoulders and began rummaging through the contents. I had already assumed that it would have been significantly difficult to gain entry to this village, so I had prepared this beforehand. Basically it was a scroll, and its contents was my mission. It stated exactly who I was looking for and what I needed to know about this person before I would leave the village and go to search for this person. I finally found and grabbed the scroll, dropping my bag to the ground and taking a step forward towards the shinobi that had threatened me. Everyone around him tensed as though they thought I was going to attack, but I merely handed him the scroll.

"I'm here on a self-assigned mission." I stated. "Yami Mori is my target, and my only purpose here is to gather information. I have no malicious desires and do not plan to do anything that will harm the current or future states of your village. If you feel like anything I have just said or that I have shown you is false or is in any way suspicious, feel free to kill me."

The man looked up at me after looking over the scroll. His comrades were waiting for his decision, as was I. Personally, I didn't want to die, but it just seemed like something good to say at the time. If they believed that I was telling the truth because I had told them to kill me, well then it all worked out in my favor. But if for some reason they thought that I just didn't care about my life and that my mission seemed suspicious, they would definitely kill me. Either way, it was out of my hands now. The man watched me with narrowed eyes. He obviously didn't trust me, but I also figured that he didn't trust any outsider and took the safety of his village very seriously, which was completely understandable. I would probably be the same if I were in his position. Finally he reached his decision and turned on his heel, gesturing to his comrades for them to go on ahead, probably to inform their superiors about their guest.

"So I guess this means I get to live?" I asked with a smirk.

He didn't even look at me. "If you try anything, you will die before you can bat an eye. While you are inside of this village, you will be kept under constant surveillance, and if you try to hide from or escape our surveillance team, we will find you and we will kill you. In any scenario in which you have made yourself appear as an enemy to our village, the end result will be fatal. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Crystal..." I muttered. "Well, let's get right to it so my stay won't be prolonged. Do you know anything about Yami Mori? I need to know his weaknesses, motives, strengths, and if anyone left with him when he turned against the village."

"Not many people will remember Yami." The man said. "We suffered a great loss when he left the village. Yami protested the current leadership of the village of that time, but no one was willing to follow his cause. He was feared, even by the strongest ninja in our village. I was only a child at that time, but I was old enough to realize what was going on. From what I can remember, he's one of the reasons why the Hidden Mist is reputed for their assassination techniques."

I shuddered. "Sounds like a pretty evil guy. Do you know what kind of techniques he used? Since you're old enough now to know them, you could probably tell me. I need to know or else he'll probably be the one to kill me, and not the other way around."

"From what I understood over the years, and from the classified documents I've read, Yami Mori was significantly skilled with the Water Release jutsus. Most of us in this village are, but he had a natural talent for it. When he attempted to slaughter the entire village, he used a number of jutsu that required large amounts of chakra in quick succession. Very few shinobi had survived when he finally decided to leave the village."

"Did he take anyone with him?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. Keep in mind that this took place fifteen years ago. I'm sure you weren't even thought of back then; you look like just a kid. Also, why would a kid like you think she could take on an S-rank Rogue Ninja from the Mist?"

"I've come to realize that every generation surpasses their predecessors. If this happened fifteen years ago, well then, he's fifteen years behind me. I can't even imagine how outdated this guy is. He probably coughs up cobwebs and burps dust. Come on, don't underestimate me. If I was an average kid, I'd be dead by now, because I would have long since went out to find him. Instead, I came here to gather information. Show a little faith in your outsider, here." I grinned and crossed my arms over my chest.

"What village do you belong to?" He asked. We'd already reached the center of the village, and we were now heading towards where I believed the Mizukage resided. It was a little unnerving to be speaking to a Kage from a different Shinobi Nation, but I guessed this just meant I needed to be a little more respectful than usual. And with this thought, I determined that I was absolutely doomed.

"Why does it matter?" I asked absentmindedly, still worrying over what I would say to the Mizukage. How in the world could I be respectful? I was generally sarcastic to new people, and that would just not do. They could easily kill me for disrespecting their leader, and that was why I considered myself doomed. My only hope now was to believe that this person, whoever he or she turned out to be, had an amazing sense of humor. I could remember our new Hokage having a less than admirable sense of humor, and even bordering on intolerant of sarcastic remarks and little jokes. If the Mizukage was anything like Lady Tsunade, I think it would just be best if I kept my mouth shut and let the others do the talking for me.

"I want to know where to return your body when you betray this village." I glanced at him and he was smiling, appearing as though he loved the thought of being able to kill me. This wasn't good. What if the Mizukage was like this guy? Ah hell.

"Lord Mizukage, we have kid from a neighboring Hidden Village that wants to ask you a few questions about Yami Mori." The shinobi escorting me called from outside the Mizukage's office. I hurriedly uncrossed my arms and folded my hands neatly in front of me. What was a good way to greet a Kage from a different nation? Should I bow? No, I didn't think I needed to do, but that would definitely show my respect. What if I didn't bow and they expected me to? I'd never had to bow before the Hokage, but every place's customs were different. This was going to be a lot more difficult than I had earlier thought.

"Bring them in," said a woman's voice from the other side of the door. The man opened the door and I walked inside. Immediately my eyes fell on a relatively pretty woman with extremely long auburn hair and bright green eyes. She looked kind. "What's your name, kid?"

"Um, Mizuki Hyuga, ma'am." I said and began nervously wringing my hands together. It didn't matter how kind this woman looked, she could be contemplating my death right now. She smiled and nodded.

"I've heard of the Hyuga clan. I guess you're from the Hidden Leaf." She said. "So are you here on a mission to capture Yami? If that's the case, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. It just wouldn't do to allow a neighboring shinobi village to capture the secrets of this village. But if that's not the case, please tell me."

I swallowed hard. "Well, I'm on a self-assigned mission. I intend to capture and kill Yami Mori and collect the thirty-five million Ryo that hangs over his head. I'm not necessarily a bounty hunter, but it's what I do in order to be able to continue my travelling. I am, as you say, with the Hidden Leaf, but I am no longer living in the village. I suppose you could call me a Rogue Ninja as well, but that was not my intention when I left the village. I have no malicious intent, and am merely seeking the means to carry out a different mission. If you will allow me to collect information on Yami Mori, I would be highly grateful to you."

"I like you." She said with a grin, crossing her hands under her chin. "You're captivating me with this. What exactly is your separate mission? May I ask?"

I shrugged. "I guess it's not a secret. How do I put this... I can't remember a lot of my life, and I believe it's because of an evil man that I've seen in my memories only once. However, I'm not searching for this man just yet. I want to know all of these manufactured memories and I want to know the meaning of my existence. Due to these false memories of mine, I have no way to know whether or not I'm here for a reason or if I myself am a fabricated entity. My true mission is to find the truth."

"That's so tragic..." She sighed. "Alright then! I'll tell you what you need to know. Yami was an old friend of mine, of course, so I should be able to tell you a lot. What exactly do you need to know? I'll admit I don't know everything, and it may not even be of any use at this point. He's been gone a long time, and he could have changed in that time. He's probably a completely different person now."

"I know." I said. "But I need to know his strengths and weaknesses, and I need to know his motives and where he might have gone. I can't find someone when I'm searching blindly. I have a photo of him because I've gotten into the habit of collecting bounty posters everywhere I go, so all I need to know is his personality to determine where he might have gone or where he could be. Everything else will just allow me to have a higher chance of defeating him."

She tapped her chin. "Well, he wasn't a very cheerful person, so he kept to himself. No one really liked him, and I was his only friend back then. He liked to complain about the current state of affairs, and I got bored a lot. He got angry easily. I remember the night he attacked the village we had gotten into an argument earlier in the day. He told me I didn't care about the village, but I told him that he was a complainer and had nothing better to do than bitch and moan about the things he wasn't old enough to change yet. He didn't like that very much, and later that night, he tried to take the village. When no one would follow him, he changed his plan to slaughtering everyone. We were just Genin at the time, but he was far beyond Jonin level. I was among the people he came after, but I was also pretty strong for my rank. I was the last one he tried to kill before a handful of shinobi finally came and he ran away. Yami was very fond of long-range attack types because he wasn't very proficient in close combat. I had always beaten him out in that respect. He was also jealous of my kekkei genkai and had always asked me to teach it to him, even though he knew it would be impossible."

"Kekkei genkai?" I asked.

"Yes. I can use Lava Release and Boil Release, and it's only possible because of the chakra properties I combine. Anyway, because he had no friends, he didn't leave with anyone. And I don't think he would have any comrades now, because personalities like his just don't change; not even after fifteen years. I think they get worse. His weak points should be, from what I can remember, close range combat and high speed attacks. He's not very fast, but he's terrifyingly strong. I don't believe I could beat him, even to this day. I will tell you to use extreme caution. He can pinpoint an opponent's weakness in seconds if you show them to him. Do not underestimate him, and do not show your weaknesses. He is extremely skilled in using his opponent's strengths and weaknesses against them. I hope you have a large arsenal of jutsu that can't backfire."

"What would work against him?"

She pursed her lips in consideration and then nodded. "Well, fire style will not be very useful unless it's backed by something to give it force, like wind or lightning. Lightning style will work beautifully against him, due to the fact that he's got the water style chakra property. However, he also uses earth and fire. He's very skilled in each of his properties. If you don't mind telling me, do you know your chakra property?"

"That would 'properties'." I smiled. "I'm pretty skilled in fire type and lightning type. Over the years, I've been developing some new techniques that I believe might be useful against him."

"Oh?"

"Is that all?" I asked. "I'm burning away time here."

She cocked her eyebrow. "Don't rush into this fight, Mizuki. Now, last thing, he always used to tell me how he was going to create a peaceful world, regardless of if he had to use force or not. I suggest you search the most war-torn lands; you'll probably find him there rallying followers. Along your way, you might also hear about him."

"Right." I nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Mizuki?"

"Yes?"

She smiled. "Don't die."


	2. Two

**Sorry for the long wait guys. I've had some major writers block, but as it just so happens I talked to my best friend and we collaborated for a moment, and I came up with a new way to write this chapter. As it turns out, I plotted out each individual chapter up to eight thinking that it would help me, but it actually backfired. Chapter one turned out great, but I wrote it in such a way to where I couldn't continue with chapter two the way I wanted, so I had to stop and rethink, and I just couldn't come up with anything. But I finally did!**

**I want to thank those of you who supported my last story, and I want to thank those of you who are currently supporting this story. You're the reasons I why I keep myself motivated to finish!**

**~Enjoy**

**~Omo no shi**

* * *

"You don't expect me to give you thirty-five million Ryo, right? I can hardly tell who he is."

"Give me a break, old man, I had a hard time with this fool. He nearly killed me, so I had to use _that_ jutsu. Just give me the money that I earned and I'll be on my way. Besides, a corpse is a corpse."

"You know that makes me believe you less, right?"

I sighed and rubbed my face. My whole body was still hurting, not only from the battle with Yami Mori, but also from the long distance I had to walk from the Hidden Rain Village to the Collection Office. He had been a difficult opponent, and I will admit I had nearly died. He had far surpassed the Fifth Mizukage's warning, and had grown to a level I just hadn't anticipated. As a ninja, I should have been a lot more careful, but I'm ashamed to say I hadn't been. Needless to say, I was in a bad mood now, and this old man wasn't making it any better.

"Fine! Do whatever it is you people do to make sure you have your guy! All I know is that I want my money, and I want the full amount that was promised in my hand before I leave today; regardless of the condition of the corpse, I will not negotiate the amount."

The old man rolled his eyes and hauled the corpse off to another room. I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest. What I needed right now was a hot bath and a good meal. That was usually what calmed me down the best after capturing a particularly difficult bounty. I couldn't argue that I had been reckless in trying to capture that man. A few minutes into our battle, I had quickly realized how skilled he was in each of his properties. Even though I had developed and learned as many new techniques as I possibly could over the past couple of years, it hadn't nearly been enough, and I had been forced to use a jutsu that left the corpse nearly unidentifiable.

"This is taking way too long." I muttered and closed my eyes.

"I confirmed the corpse; here's your money. Take it and leave."

I opened my eyes and glared at the old man. I took the case and set it down on the table and opened it. Upon first glance, it appeared as though all of the money was there, but upon further inspection, it became obvious that their was only fifteen million Ryo.

"What's the meaning of this?" I snapped.

"You brought me a charred corpse. What do you expect me to do? I can't pay you in full unless I have a body I can recognize right from the start. I'm afraid I can't give you the full amount, and I'm also afraid that if you don't leave with the money you have generously been given, I will take it back and force you to leave without payment. You are one of the people I hate working with the most. You're lucky I gave you that much." He hissed. "Now get out!"

I slammed the case shut and turned on my heel. The old man was senile. Any other Collection Agency would have paid me in full, but no, this man apparently didn't like my style. None of the other places cared whether or not they could identify the body immediately because they were the only ones who were going to have that body. It wasn't that big of a deal if they had to identify the corpse, because that was their job! I swear, it was just that old man. I didn't understand why he didn't like me. However, despite the fact that I hadn't been paid in full, I still had more than enough money to last me for a little while. I didn't have a lot to worry about.

"Now it's time to recharge and restock," I sighed and pulled out my map. "Let's see, right now we're a few miles away from the outskirts of the Land of Rivers. Somewhere to the south-eastern part of the Land of Fire is the Land of Tea. It sounds like a nice place. Maybe I'll rest up there."

I rolled my map up and pulled my bag off my shoulders to put my money into my bag. When I was done, I tossed the case off to the side and started in the direction of the Land of Tea. Based on what the map showed me, it wasn't very large, but it was still noticeable. I didn't have a strong desire to step foot into the Land of Fire, but it would be the closest resting place, and I needed to relax. If I let my mind wander that far, I could only imagine what would happen if a Leaf ninja found me. Surely enough, I was a wanted ninja because I had left the village. Despite my intentions, if during my travels I was killed, the secrets of the Hidden Leaf could be exposed. Someone could steal my Byakugan among many other things. Even if I myself did not remember, someone who had my body in their possession could easily find what I couldn't.

"This is becoming tedious." I muttered.

"Hotaru? Is that you?"

"Are you talking to me old man?" I turned and glanced at an older man who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression. Before I could even react, a stupid grin spread across his face and he grinned and ran towards me. I ducked as he reached out to grab me and turn to grab the back of his shirt to keep him from hitting the ground. I picked him up and set him on his feet.

"It is you! Oh, I've missed talking to you! When we first met, I thought you were absolutely fascinating. Tell me Hotaru, why did you leave so soon, and why didn't you come back for so long? Oh! You haven't aged at all!" He gasped.

"Slow down old man, you might hurt yourself." I said. "How do you know me?"

"Oh, don't tell me you don't remember!" He winked and leaned close to me to whisper in my ear. I grimaced and pushed him away. This old man was nothing more than a pervert. However, I wanted to know why he knew my mother's name.

"Well, I have to admit it's been so long." I lied. "Why don't you refresh my memory?"

"That sounds like a plan." He nodded and grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of a small hut a few yards away. "I still can't believe you can't remember me. We met at least twenty years ago, my dear. I'll admit it's been awhile, but you struck me as the kind of woman that didn't forget a damn thing! That's what I liked about you."

_Oh the irony_, I said to myself. "Twenty years ago?"

He laughed. "Oh, you were a little thing back then, but you were something people liked to talk about. You sure made a name for yourself, I'll give you that. Those who said that they met you said that you were such a friendly person. I'll believe it, too, because I became one of those lucky men!"

I sat down at a table once we were inside and ordered a drink for the both of us. While we waited, I looked him over. He couldn't be no older than forty, but that was old to me. He already had semi-grey hair and a few wrinkles here and there. I couldn't actually believe that he knew my mother. I sighed and shook my head.

"Old man, you've got the wrong idea. I'm not Hotaru." I said.

"Of course you are!" He laughed. "Are you having an identity crisis?"

"You couldn't be more right." I muttered under my breath. "No, I'm not. Just hear me out for a second and try not to jump to conclusions. I'm Hotaru's daughter; my name is Mizuki."

"What? No... that's not right. You look just like... Hotaru... wait a second! You are her daughter. It's obvious now. There's no way you couldn't have stopped aging!" He laughed and slammed his fist down against the table. I grimaced and leaned back into my chair. "I can't believe it. That Hotaru finally decided to settle down and start a family."

"Not quite..." I sighed. "My mother died sixteen years ago today."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. Do you miss her?" He asked sympathetically.

I shook my head. "I never got a chance to meet her. I never met my father, either. It's why I want you to tell me everything you know about my mother. You were obviously close to her, so you know where she went to. Did she travel a lot? Do you know who she finally decided to settle down with? What was she like?"

He looked sad now. "Kid, I don't want to ruin whatever good memories you may have of her."

"That's the problem. I don't have any memory of anything, really. This isn't something I usually tell a stranger, but I guess you're different, if you knew my mother. The thing is... my mother died hating me. Sometimes I get these images in my mind. They aren't my own memories sometimes, and when they aren't mine, they're hers. I remembered the day she died and watched it through her eyes. Trust me, I have nothing good to remember. Anything you have to say won't make a difference in my opinion because it's not her memory I'm looking for. It's mine."

He sighed and took a sip of his sake. "This place is where I met her, actually. I can remember her sitting at a table by herself. Sometimes a man would walk up to her and they would talk for a while. Eventually she would get bored and shrug them off. Everyday she came to this exact same place, and everyday, I watched her until I found the courage to walk up to her. She was a few years older than me and that made me nervous. I was just a new kid in town who knew nothing about women. We started talking and those minutes turned to hours, then days, and finally she asked me out. I was excited and nervous. When we met up at the bar on the night of our date, she led me to a clearing in the middle of the forest. I had been unsure about what she was planning to do, but finally I figured it out."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

He chuckled. "You're just a kid, too. You're sixteen, am I right? You should be old enough to figure it out for yourself. Anyway, we parted ways later that night with a promise to meet each other again at the bar the next day. Well, the next day I sat in this exact same seat waiting until she would come and we would talk again. The problem was that she never came back. I figured she had better things to do than roll around in the grass with a foolhardy kid, but it still hurt. I waited everyday. She had me hooked. Your mother was a piece of work."

"That didn't really tell me anything." I sighed. "Do you know where she went?"

He shook his head."She had no specific destination when she traveled. Hotaru was capricious and did what suited her the best. She had no purpose in mind and was a true wanderer. Most of the people I know never just walk to enjoy themselves, but walk to reach their destination. For her, there was no destination... no time limit... and no purpose. Hotaru simply was. That's all I know."

"You have been... absolutely no help." I snapped.

He laughed. "This is where you and your mother differ! You're in such a hurry. What's the rush? Just live your life, kid, there's nothing to worry about. You have the world in front of you. Why do you have goals and purposes? Throw them away because all they're ever going to do is let you down. That's what your mother told me. She said having goals was like setting yourself up for failure. What if you never reach those goals? You'll die with hatred and regret in your heart. People will remember you and wonder why such a pitiful person would aim so high."

"Shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh, but I think I do!" He laughed and shook his head. "You're like a mini untrained version of your mother. I can see the desperation in your eyes. You want so badly to be recognized because you're weak, and yet no one is willing to recognize you. Hotaru fought against that, too, you know. No one wanted realize she was strong, so she just stopped fighting. This is where she's stronger than you; this is why you'll never surmount her. You don't have the strength to give up."

I picked up my glass and threw it at him, but he ducked just before it could hit him. "You know nothing, you disgusting old man! That's exactly why I am stronger than her. Giving up is the worst thing you can possibly do. My mother gave up and you want to know how she died? She died with hatred and regret burning within her. The very reasons you said why she gave up her goals! This is why I'm searching so desperately... because everyone around me is a liar! Even him... you're all rotten liars."

I was standing now, but I was getting weaker, and I felt like I was going to start crying at any moment. My knees were shaking and threatened to give out. The man was watching me with a satisfied expression on his face. He threw a couple of bills on the table and began to walk away. A new anger boiled within me and grabbed the money off the table and threw it at him.

"I don't want your charity!"

He only laughed and walked out of the little shop. I fell back into my seat and buried my face into my hands. Why had I let him get to me like that? There was no way he was telling the truth. Anyone can make up a story like that if they know a few key details. But how could he be lying if he had thought I was my mother? If I hadn't have told him who I really was, would he have known it wasn't Hotaru? Would he have figured it out all on his own?

"Miss, the money that man left for you was enough for his drink alone." I glanced up and saw the waitress standing a few feet away from my table with some money in her hand. I had probably scared her a little with my outburst. She was a small and fragile looking woman. I sighed and reached into my bag.

"I'm done here anyway. Thank you." I handed her the money and stood to leave. She stepped aside and turned in the direction of the little room in the back where I supposed all the workers stayed when they weren't serving customers. I hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. The moon was already at it's highest point in the sky, whereas when I had entered the little shop the moon hadn't even risen yet.

"They're all liars..." I whispered to myself as I walked. "They're all filthy liars."


	3. Three

**This chapter was strictly meant to be a filler chapter and nothing else. I apologize for its less-than-astounding length, but I didn't want to drag it along, you know? I hope that this was at least a promising chapter. From here on out, it really does get a little more interesting. The purpose of this part of the story is to basically show Mizuki's struggles as she tries to find her memories and whatnot. It may seem like it's going to be nothing more than boring stories and blah, blah, blah, but if you're reading this author's note, I can GUARANTEE that this is not what this story is going to be.**

**It just gets better from here. I promise!**

**~Enjoy!**

**~Omo no shi**

* * *

My name is Mizuki Hyuga. I am a deaf Hidden Leaf shinobi. My mother went by the name of Hotaru and traveled for most of her life. There were only three facts. It had been nearly three years since I had made my decision in leaving the Hidden Leaf, and yet this was the only progress I had made. I had left for noble reasons, yet if I wanted to go back right now, what did I have to show? If I figured out nothing, this search was pointless. I couldn't accept a life of lies. It just didn't suit me. I couldn't go back yet.

Yet why had I actually considered giving up?

It seemed so appealing for brief moment. For just a second I had lost myself and wondered what it would be like to have a fake happiness. If happiness was my overall goal, would it truly matter how I attained it? The people around me had always been so willing to just give me enough to keep a smile on my face. Why was I so eager to fight them? Why did I want to break this cycle? I couldn't even determine whether or not there had been a cycle to begin with.

"You're an idiot..." I laughed and wiped my eyes. I stared down at my reflection in the water, watching the image ripple every time one of my tears disturbed the water. It was such a stupid thing; this desire for true happiness. What could true happiness be anyway? I didn't even know what it felt like. How could someone like me pursue something she had never seen or felt before?

"You're selfish..." I whispered and closed my eyes tight. I didn't want to even look at myself anymore. It was bad enough that I was crying and wallowing in self-pity. Even the eyes of my mirror image stared back up at me with disgust. I couldn't stare into those eyes. Those same and yet somehow different white-brown eyes that had glared at me and cursed me to live this wretched life. I didn't understand anything anymore. There couldn't possibly be anything left to understand. How could I pursue happiness at the cost of others? I had no idea what the others might be feeling now that they had lost a friend. I had no memory of the past, yet they still held those memories. Those stupid and frustratingly unattainable memories.

"It isn't fair!" I opened my eyes and slammed my hands down into the water. My reflection went away, freeing me from its hateful glare. I fell back against the grass and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. All I needed to do was forget about my worries and plan a course of action to take for the next day. With the information I'd gathered from that senile old man, I could begin my next research project.

It would entitle some risks, sure, and was not free of its flaws. There were aspects of this plan that could go especially wrong, but I felt like I was the only one who could even be capable of doing something like this. It didn't matter that I looked so young, mainly because I was nearly identical to my mother. I imagined that if I stayed in one place for a certain amount of time, people were bound to recognize me as my mother. According to the old man, Hotaru had accumulated quite a reputation; if it was true, there shouldn't be any problem with attracting attention.

As of this moment, there were two options. Option one: I could take the direct approach and make myself known to the population. Someone was bound to walk up to me believing I was Hotaru. This alone was possibly the fastest way to attract attention when one compared it to the second option. The second option consisted of nothing more than waiting around for someone to recognize me. This was liable to take days, weeks, or even months before someone finally crossed my path and recognized me as Hotaru. However, I could also combine these two approaches. If I were to combine them I could approach people and also allow myself to remain solitary and let others find me. My mother waited for her consorts to approach her, if my source was by any means credible. This meant that if I wanted to obtain any information later, I had to somehow be able to perfectly imitate my mother.

I closed my eyes and crossed my arms beneath my head. Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.


	4. Four

I was right back where I started, staring down at the hazy liquid in my cup. I was right back to desperately searching for information. My plan was idiotic, but once I had set my mind to it, not even I could talk myself out of it. I sighed and grimaced down at the cup, knowing that I would either have to drink the vile stuff or stop paying for what I wasn't even consuming. I steeled myself and downed the contents in one swing and shuddered as the alcohol burned its way down my throat.

"Gross," I coughed and wiped my mouth, blinking away the tears that were pricking at the corners of my eyes. "Why do I insist on torturing myself like that?"

"You really put that one back, baby." I glanced up at the man that was sitting directly in front of me. He wasn't very attractive in my opinion. He was a little stocky, being that everything about his body was muscular in some strange and deformed looking way. His face in particular was the part that really got me. He had a strong jaw line, but he had very small features that didn't complement his build. His eyes looked like they were set in a permanent squint and he had a small, rodent-like nose. If I hadn't been on edge from the way he was staring at me, I would have laughed at him.

"I didn't think women had the ability to do that," he snickered. I gave him my most winning smile and rested my chin on the backs of my hands, watching him as closely as I could without making it obvious. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. It was as though he was trying to undress me with his eyes, and though I knew I had to stay in character, all I wanted to do was wipe that ugly smirk off his even uglier face.

"Women have the capability to do anything." I said to him.

"I'd like to see what kind of things you're capable of doing." He said lasciviously. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks then and I averted my eyes, taking a deep breath so I could remain calm. He was so crude, it was a wonder he wasn't already dead. I was sure he'd been slapped many times in his lifetime, and I was also sure I wouldn't have been an exception by the end of the night.

"I don't lead strangers to bed." I countered. He laughed a rather loud laugh, making me look around to see if anyone was looking at us now. I glanced back at him with a frown, wondering why he was being so confident around me and making such forward comments. I had been here all day, trying to gather information about the woman who had apparently been here before, but I hadn't caught onto a single lead. Was this man going to be my only chance? He certainly acted like he knew me.

"It really has been a while since I last saw you, Hotaru!" He guffawed. "I guess memories fade with the years, yet that's the only thing that's changed about you so far. You look like you haven't aged a day."

I smiled again. "Refresh my memory?"

"Shigeo," he introduced himself, grinning practically from ear-to-ear "We met the first day you came here, but you brushed me off."

I laughed and waved my hand as if I suddenly remembered. "Oh, yeah! Wow, that seems like eons ago. I'm surprised that you even recognized me Shigeo. Sometimes I can barely recognize myself."

"You look just as delicious as you did back then, Hotaru." He said, his voice rasping slightly. I could see it in him; the desire for the person he had met so long ago. Despite the fact that my mother had pushed him away, deeming him unworthy of her time, I thought he might be a valuable source of information. He knew things about my mother, albeit it was probably only a little bit more. Regardless of the amount, any information he could give me would bring me one step closer to finding the truth. I smiled and leaned across the table, reaching for his hands.

"I suppose there are exceptions to every rule," I murmured as I moved away from the table. He was probably too dense to remember that I had told him I didn't bring strangers to my bed. He grinned and allowed me to drag him from the small tavern. I knew what I was doing was not appropriate by any means, but though I hated to say it, missions like these seemed to be my strong point. I was a kunoichi, and I would live up to that.

"Where are we going, baby?" He asked, but I ignored him and just continued pulling him through the forest. At some point we finally reached my campsite. It looked quickly abandoned, because random items were strewn in the oddest of places, but the reality was that I was not the neatest person in the world. I preferred the disarray; it gave a sense of normalcy to a not-so-normal situation. As I turned to face him, I took a step back and continued to move slowly away from him and towards the lake behind me. I smirked as I felt the water rush up to meet my feet, and I continued moving back until I felt the water rise up to my waist. I lowered myself and reached out for him, beckoning him to follow me.

That hungry expression had turned into unabashed lust. He walked towards me, wasting no time at all as he grabbed my waist and pulled my body close to his. Inwardly I shuddered, resisting the urge to vomit. He had the rotten smell of too much confidence and week old sweat. It was quite possibly the most disgusting thing I had ever encountered, but I put on a brave face and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled myself up on him and locked my legs around his waist, never breaking eye contact. I needed this plan to work. If it didn't work, all of this will have been for nothing.

"You really have changed." He murmured, his voice dropping to a low, raspy tone. On any other man it could have been considered sexy, but this man just continued to give me the creeps. Now I knew why my mother had avoided him. It was her fault now though, for having come into contact with him, making it fate that it was now my turn.

"No, I don't feel very different." I demurred. "Is it a good change or a bad change?"

"A very good change." He smirked down at me. "Back then, you weren't nearly as forward with me as you are being now."

The heat rose to my cheeks instantly. "Well, I suppose people can change with the times."

He grunted his agreement and leaned down to kiss my neck. It felt weird because I could feel his teeth through his thin lips, and it wasn't right. Even though I had never been in this kind of situation before, I knew this wasn't right. It was just as horrible a feeling as when I had decided to move so close to him. My information gathering skills were, without a doubt, great but I really didn't want to be in this position. I couldn't help but silently curse myself for coming up with such a stupid plan. I could only imagine what could go wrong if it decided to backfire on me. I shuddered, feeling his mouth moving lower, to a very dangerous place. I swallowed hard and moved my hands down to press against his chest.

"S-Shigeo," I stammered. "Could you tell me again?"

"Hmm?" He muttered, still steadily moving his kisses towards my chest. I had decided to wear something a little more open today, considering that I was on a mission like this. But I was regretting it now. It was obvious that this man had a one track mind and he was barely listening to me. I pushed my hands against his chest, trying a little harder to make him stop his advancements. I didn't want this to go any further. I had gotten myself into this, but it didn't mean I wanted it.

"H-how we met. I want to know the entire story again. I can't q-quite remember how I even pushed you away. Why would I do that? Shigeo, answer me please?" I couldn't help my nerves and the sudden stutter that had manifested. I was fearful about what might happen if he didn't listen to me. I didn't even want to think about it.

"Stop asking those stupid ass questions." He grunted, moving his hands from my waist to grab my butt. I gasped and was really trying to get away from him now, but he wasn't having any of that. With his hands holding me to him in a vice-like grip, he moved out of the water and tossed me to the ground. I quickly tried to move to my feet and run, but he pinned to the ground and pulled my arms over my head. I watched in horror as he pulled out a small knife and cut my shirt wide open. Desperately I tried to free my hands and cover myself, but he was too strong. He laughed, gazing down at my breasts with a truly hungry expression now. Shigeo moved up my body and straddled me, allowing his free hand to roam over my body.

"It's stupid to fight me now, Hotaru. You didn't give me what I wanted back then, but you're going to give it to me now. I've got you trapped, and there's absolutely no hope of you getting away from me now." He laughed and I gasped, trying very hard to ignore the fact that he was touching me. I grimaced and thrust my knee into his groin. He wheezed and fell over on top of me, probably on purpose. He's too heavy for me alone to push him off me, so I form a hand seal with my newly freed hands.

"Fire Release: Encompassing Flame Jutsu!"

Shigeo cried out, quickly moving off my body. I felt the joy of being freed and scrambled to my feet, running in the direction of the forest. But it seemed as though that man had come with reinforcements, probably expecting me to back out at some point. They surrounded me, leering down at me with that same hungry expression Shigeo had worn. I was panicking. I could hardly think straight as I slapped their hands away when they reached for me. This wasn't a part of the plan. It was backfiring on me, and I needed to get away now. I reached up and tried to form a hand seal, but one of the men shouted and someone suddenly pulled my arms behind me, restraining my hands. I opened my mouth to scream, but was quickly cut off by a gag. My hands were being thoroughly restrained with ropes, and I had been blindfolded. I thrashed around, but they merely tossed me to the ground. I couldn't hear anything anymore, I couldn't see, and I couldn't defend myself. Lord only knew what was going to happen to me now. I could feel the tears rising, but I sincerely didn't want to show weakness, not now in this moment when all I had left was my pride.

A sudden pain exploded in the back of my head, and hands all over my body was the last thing I could remember before everything faded away to nothing.


End file.
